It’s refreshing and interesting to encounter people fighting for the White who can also be antagonistic (Callahan does this at times too). And even though I don’t like Calvin Tower as a person, I think he’s great as a character. Pere Callahan, despite too much backstory, is also a worthy addition to the ka-tet. I already mentioned Rosalita, a quiet, wise badass who is the perfect compliment to Roland. Some of the new characters are also strong. Roland even gets another girl, this one in many ways cooler than Susan Delgado. I do like how the mission of Roland’s “present” ka-tet mirrors that of his former one as recounted in the previous book - they stumble into a remote village that needs saving, and while at it discover it has more to do with their Dark Tower mission than they could have imagined (complete with a Wizard’s Glass). We go from one climax right to another (albeit lesser) one, and this one ends on a cliffhanger. Ok, so really it’s “The Four Samurai,” but isn’t that all we’re talking about here? And without a classic resolution (or even falling action), the ending is palpably abrupt and unsatisfying.
When I read first read this upon release it was the least memorable by far of the five books I had read, and re-reading it now I think I know why it’s as much a remake of The Seven Samurai as it is a Dark Tower story.
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